Getting an MBA takes two years of your life. And most of it is spent on PowerPoint presentations and outdated financial models. This title distills...
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Jul 24, 2011
Elizabeth
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The book is a high-level overview of the topics covered by a typical MBA program. I'm coming to it as someone with no business education and some on-the-job training in marketing. I was already familiar with the marketing information in this book, and I assume someone with a background in some of the other topics would find them similarly simplified.
Because it has such a high-level view, it's a great book to skim through and find intriguing concepts to learn more about. I wish there More...
Because it has such a high-level view, it's a great book to skim through and find intriguing concepts to learn more about. I wish there More...
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Dec 20, 2011
David
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The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufman is one of those “have to read” books. The whole premise behind The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business is the same as for the Redneck MBA. That is, one does not have to go to a business school or even takes courses on-line to have the equivalent of an MBA.
Kaufman provides explanations of many different concepts and defines numerous terms in a simple, easy to read, format. The only problem I saw with the book was that More...
Kaufman provides explanations of many different concepts and defines numerous terms in a simple, easy to read, format. The only problem I saw with the book was that More...
Aug 25, 2011
Daniel
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I took this book out of the library and spent the afternoon with it. For a long time, I had been a fan of Kaufman's website. I have personally referred a number of business students to it as a tutor for a professional college. The book was just as easy to read and reference as the website. I was able to obtain everything I wanted from the book in about two to three hours of reading.
For me the most useful parts of the book were on managing one's self, analyzing systems, and marketing More...
For me the most useful parts of the book were on managing one's self, analyzing systems, and marketing More...
Mar 31, 2011
Rebecca
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The Personal MBA is first and foremost designed for readers of the internet era. Each chapter is organized into short (1-2 page) sections, and information is presented in a straightforward, unadorned manner, with short paragraphs and lots of bolded words. It's meant to be read in pieces, and made for jumping around rather than plowing straight through.
On the plus side, this makes the book an easy read, and a good quick and general reference for a lot of concepts and ideas in busin More...
On the plus side, this makes the book an easy read, and a good quick and general reference for a lot of concepts and ideas in busin More...
May 29, 2011
The breadth and orientation of topics presented is astonishing. (For more in-depth content you'll have to dive into books recommended in the appendix.)
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Apr 03, 2011
Barbara
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"The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business" is filled with practical advice that can be used in so many different areas of the business world, and it's extremely easy to read and understand. I found a lot of very inspiring information in this book, and I plan on keeping this in an "easy to grab" spot on my shelf because I will want to refer back to many of the examples in this book.
Josh Kaufman really covers so much territory in "The Personal MBA." More...
Josh Kaufman really covers so much territory in "The Personal MBA." More...
Sep 21, 2011
Khuram
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As an Entrepreneur it's important to know a little bit about everything, what i call the dots, and just as important is to know how to connect those dots together.
Most business text and material specialises on a core subject and the entire book tends to be a discussion around the core chosen subject. This book is exactly the opposite in that it gives a high level overview of what it takes to create a successful business in modern times.
I'd love to say i wish i had seen o More...
Most business text and material specialises on a core subject and the entire book tends to be a discussion around the core chosen subject. This book is exactly the opposite in that it gives a high level overview of what it takes to create a successful business in modern times.
I'd love to say i wish i had seen o More...
Sep 16, 2011
Kari
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I knew everything in this book, and I have no opinion of whether it's the best book about this stuff or not, but I did like chapters 7 and 8, about the things every competent adult has to have learned at some point. I can see myself using those chapters as a reference to remember what all to teach my kids, since I learned most of it by myself and preparation would have been helpful.
It's unsettling for the quote on the front of the book, from one of the authors who inspired Kaufman t More...
It's unsettling for the quote on the front of the book, from one of the authors who inspired Kaufman t More...
Jul 09, 2011
Scott
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This book is a whirlwind tour of a few hundred business, psychology and productivity topics, and is - as the author himself suggests - best approached by skimming its pages and focusing on the topics that are most relevant or interesting. Still, because of the breadth of topics covered, each section is too brief (about 1 or 2 pages) to be of much use by itself, and is instead a launching point for further reading and research.
Apr 25, 2011
Ryan
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There are a lot of great things in this book. Thousands of great ideas and things to think about, but unfortunately none of them are given the space to actually be discussed. This book feels more like a glossary of business terms and productivity advice, rather than a thorough business education. Although I enjoyed the writer's voice, I thought the format style of hundreds of very short "posts" was distracting and didn't allow for enough substance.
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Sep 22, 2011
Mark
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The best part is Kaufman's argument that getting an MBA at an expensive school is a bad investment. It's written as if readers have very short attention spans, in very short sections. I found some ideas helpful to my current business so I'm not disappointed. I suppose readers will get the most out of the sections that they know the least about. I skipped or skimmed chapters that I already knew the material. I was surprised there was so little on business ethics.
Jan 24, 2011
Sarah
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The concept of training yourself and building your own MBA is one I've been practicing for years. This is a great all-in-one resource that, like Kaufman says, you'll want to keep around and refer to now and then.
A highly practical book written in very efficient, accessible language; and the indexes are extremely useful. I got it from the library but I want to purchase this one so I can keep it around!
A highly practical book written in very efficient, accessible language; and the indexes are extremely useful. I got it from the library but I want to purchase this one so I can keep it around!
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Apr 05, 2011
Desiree
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I won this book in a giveaway. I thought it was going to be a book on MBAs and what they can teach you. It was yet another book on being a "Business Thinker". I've worked in retail for almost 20years and nothing in this book is a substitute for common sense and treating your employees with respect. CEOs, Business Leaders, Managers and College Graduates need a course in listening to ideas regardless of where they come from and admitting mistakes. Having a successful business depend
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Mar 29, 2011
Dave
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I'm studying an MBA at the moment (actually, for the last few years, almost done!) so I feel qualified to discuss this book.
To the book. It's a nice high level overview of a lot of the topics that an MBA will touch on, and quite a few that an MBA won't touch on at all. It is likely to be very helpful to all sorts of people. Anyone, even someone with an MBA, would be able to get something from this, particularly as it also covers "soft" subjects like personal development.
More...
To the book. It's a nice high level overview of a lot of the topics that an MBA will touch on, and quite a few that an MBA won't touch on at all. It is likely to be very helpful to all sorts of people. Anyone, even someone with an MBA, would be able to get something from this, particularly as it also covers "soft" subjects like personal development.
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Feb 07, 2011
Karl
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A great synthesis of business knowledge, defines all of the terms and concepts related to business in a way that I feel will let me plug in new knowledge to areas I know less about. And the reassuring thing is that for those areas that I feel I *have* read a lot about, he knows what he's talking about and references books I trust.
Sep 05, 2011
AilsaMaire
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Mar 15, 2011
Reeva
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Reads like a text. Any one of the subsections of the chapters could be put into a pamphlet for easy concise reading. I found the personal mba to be a very easy read despite the textbook style content. It's littered with relevant quotes for each subsection of each chapater, making it a fun read. I'd recommend it
Mar 27, 2011
Mike
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Very well written book. I am not in the field of business and I found it very entertaining and educational. You get the full aspect from starting a business and operating within it. It delivers the broad concepts of business in a way that even the everyday man can understand. I would recommend this book.
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Feb 14, 2012
Mike
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As a complete beginner in the concepts of business this book provided a great overview of the different areas of focus. This book is broken up into very short (1-4 page) sections explaining a specific concept. This book does not dive deep into any one concept but gives you the guidelines to continue your education as you move on and focus on what you find interesting.
As a newbie, this book was enlightening and will be an excellent source of reference in the future.
As a newbie, this book was enlightening and will be an excellent source of reference in the future.
Jul 09, 2011
Lindsey
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What a concise, valuable business tool! I particularly admired the way the book is organized, along with the fact that there is detailed website and online learning community associated with the ideas presented in the book. In fact, the book grew out of the website and online community. Very inspirational!
May 26, 2011
Gretchen
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Josh Kaufman demystifies the world of the MBA. For anyone owning or starting a new business, The Personal MBA provides encouragement and valuable information. Easy to read and understand, keep it on your shelf for quick reference.
May 14, 2011
Kenneth
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This is a well-written book, with a great deal of information crammed into dozens of short segments per chapter. The information is useful and practical, clearly written for an audience under the age of 35, and gets right to the point in an approachable way. What this book does best is to condense information gleaned from a wide spectrum of the best business minds. Prospective MBA seekers would do well to read this book, as well as anyone who has wanted a glimpse into the mechanisms of busine
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Feb 04, 2012
Anandh
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A very incisive book especially the principles of reciprocation, business models and new paradigms. This is a person who has read umpteen books and clearly practised what he preached. Really amazing, and worth the investment.
Sep 06, 2011
Rowan
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Not that well written (to the point of being annoying, actually) but a good articulation of common sense work/business principles. Well researched and contains excellent resources. In short, your typical good business book.
Jan 26, 2011
Greg
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Great reference for Artists or anyone not wanting to drop 100K and 4 years to understand the fundamentals and high concepts of business.
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Sep 07, 2011
Wm
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Actually quite helpful. Kaufman doesn't go into too much depth, of course. And I wish he would have taken more of a stab at finance instead of punting. And some topics are too summarized to be useful. But in terms of laying out the landscape, it succeeds. And the synthesis of a range of business books is for some sections more helpful than reading them all, for sure.
Feb 02, 2011
I was a lucky winner of a First Reads Giveaway for this book and I'm looking forward to receiving it.
Jun 30, 2011
Patrick
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This book serves as an overview of many business basics, including sales, marketing, finance, psychology, and systems. You can think of the book as a "survey course". For detailed treatment of any of the topics, you really need to read the books on the Personal MBA list.
Overall this book wasn't a waste of time, but I was already familiar with many of the topics from my reading about influencing and consulting; and Kaufman takes lots of ideas from Lean and Agile, so some of h More...
Overall this book wasn't a waste of time, but I was already familiar with many of the topics from my reading about influencing and consulting; and Kaufman takes lots of ideas from Lean and Agile, so some of h More...
Feb 02, 2011
Thank you Goodreads First Reads for this free book. Looking forward to reading it when I get it.
Sep 08, 2011
Frank
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Hits a long list of business topics briefly. Good overview on some items.
